Author: Natalie Teasdale

I want to share with other movie fans those amazing films that get under your skin and stay with you for days: the scary ones, the funny ones; the ones that get you thinking. With a background in creative writing, photography, psychology and neuroscience, I’ll be focusing on dialogue, what makes a great story, if the film has beautiful creative cinematography, the soundtrack and any movie that successfully scratches the surface of our existence. My aim is to always be searching for that ultimate movie, to share what I’ve found to be interesting (whether it be a great soundtrack, a great director or links to other information of interest) and to give an honest review without too much fluff. BAppSci in Psychology/Psychophysiology; Grad Dip Creative Arts and Post Grad Dip in Creative Writing. Founder of GoMovieReviews.

Longlegs

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★☆ (3.8/5)

Rated: MA15+

Written and Directed by: Osgood Perkins

Produced by: Dave Caplan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Oddfellows, Dan Kagan

Director of Photography: Adrés Arochi

Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alica Witt, Kiernan Shipka.

‘You’re a dirty sweet girl. You’re my girl.’

T. Rex 1971.

Longlegs is one of the creepier serial killer movies I’ve seen.

The film is created with odd camera angles, the texture of the film, stark.

There’s a quiet tone to the film as FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) makes her way through the case of a satanic serial killer, AKA Longlegs (Nicolas Cage): a killer who doesn’t leave a trace.

The only reason the FBI know about Longlegs is because he leaves a note. A cipher.

Agent Harker is able to decipher the notes because Longlegs breaks into her house and leaves her the solution to the code.

And then the dance between Longlegs and Harker begins.

The toneless affect of Harker blankets the film in a monotone, making the feeling flat. It’s a strange device but I get the connection to the life-sized dolls that are introduced later in the film; however, the dampening of Harker made her character borderline dull.

Aside from the flat affect, this is a carefully crafted film with thought put into the build, the montages of crime scene photos, the sometimes up-side-down perspective, the quiet then screech of strings, all to build that unnerving feeling.

Then add Nicolas Cage as Longlegs spouting the bizarre while looking directly into the camera so it’s like Longlegs is speaking directly to you as you watch the movie and you get one unique film that gets under your skin because it takes risks in the storytelling.

On rare occasions when a film has a particular poetic flavour, I’ll re-read my notes and take that as a synopsis:

A corner camera angle, looking through the front windscreen and side window of a car.

A snowy forest.

A little girl watches from her bedroom window.

Just the lower half of the face, a weirdly made-up face, a powdered face. A male’s high voice.

Strings screech.

Knock, knock.

Have you seen this man?

She’s quiet – he’s in there.

Half psychic.

Ciphers – ten families.

Making the father murder.

Like a tapping on the shoulder.

Highly intuitive.

14^th: happy birthday.

911 call.

Flashes of crime scene photos.

Boiling black ink that overflows.

All your things.

Not nice things.

Our prayers protect us from the devil.

Newspaper clippings.

A life-sized doll.

A nowhere between here and there.

The man down the stairs.

From the perspective of the doll.

Looks right down the camera.

Birthday girls.

The doll maker.

You’ve won.

Happy birthday.

Creepy.

The Bikeriders

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★

Rated: M

Written and Directed by: Jeff Nichols

Inspired by the Book, ‘The Bikeriders’ by, Danny Lyon

Produced by: Sarah Green, p.g.a, Brian Kavanaugh Jones, p.g.a, Arnon Milchan

Starring: Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen, Karl Glusman, Toby Wallace.

‘You are an undesirable.’

Based on the book written by Danny Lyon, The Bikeriders follows the motorcycle club, The Vandals, from their formation as a racing club in 1965 to 1975 when journalist Lyon revisits Kathy (Jodie Comer), wife to club member Benny (Austin Butler), to find out what happened to the club members.

Kathy narrates the story as Danny (Mike Faist) records and takes photos of the members, president Johnny (Tom Hardy), Kathy’s husband, Benny (Austin Butler) and not-sure-where-he-come-from-but-he’s-always-been-there Zipco (Michael Shannon), sounds nasty but is actually a softy, Cockroach (Emory Cohen) and others like, Cal (Boyd Holbrook), Brucie (Damon Herriman) and Wahoo (Beau Knapp).

The Bikeriders is a story about how the club was created, the president Johnny inspired by the movie The Wild One.

Johnny has a normal life, a wife and two kids, a job driving trucks. But the club is about being an outsider to finding somewhere to belong when you don’t belong anywhere else like Zipco being told he’s an undesirable when trying to join the army to fight in Vietnam. But with The Vandals, Zipco’s a club member.

Kathy talks about the guys joining the club because they can’t follow rules, but then the new members taking the rules of the club too seriously.

Later Kathy talks about outsiders not able to wear their colours alone because of the threat of someone with a grievance finding them without the backup of their members.

But not Benny.

The film opens showing a whisky with a chaser beer, cigarette set on an ashtray billowing smoke as Benny leans forward on a bar.

‘You can’t wear those colours in here. Take that jacket off.’

To which Benny replies, ‘You’d have to kill me to get this jacket off.’

Benny’s the free spirit of the club, slightly unhinged he tells Johnny, ‘What do I need to think for?’

He doesn’t care about anything. Doesn’t want anything from anyone.

Kathy wonders after the constant arrests, bail and court cases, ‘It can’t be love, it must just be stupidity.’

Benny dives into a fight where the two fighting clubs end up being palls, talking motorbikes after some fisty cuffs. But this isn’t an overly violent film. There’s a 60s vibe with matching soundtrack that plays more to boys being boys.

But as the club expands, the new members start to twist the ideals of being an outlaw to the extreme.

Nichols states, ‘Mainstream culture doesn’t suit everyone,’ he says. ‘Some outsiders are drawn to subcultures and that’s where interesting things happen. Subcultures are where new art comes from. Subcultures are where people can find interesting ways to express themselves. And inevitably those subcultures become interesting to the main culture. They are absorbed by the mainstream and become shadows of themselves.’

The film touches on the outsiders joining a club because everyone wants to be part of something. And there is a brotherhood of the members backing each other, Johnny wanting more from Benny, to step up in running the club but because of Benny’s independence, the relationship falls flat.

There’s no deep dive into the loyalty of the club, friendships, just a superficial like of drinking together and hanging out until it gets too real.

Really, the film is about Kathy and Benny, with Kathy telling the story, her narration flippant, the brevity amusing.

Instead of the expected film about hardened bikers, the tone felt light-hearted.

The Promised Land

GoMovieReview Rating: ★★★★

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Nikolaj Arcel

Screenplay Written by: Nikolaj Arcel, Anders Thomas Jensen

Based on the Book by: Ida Jessen

Produced by: Louise Vesth

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Simon Bennebjerg, Gustav Lindh, Kristine Kujath Thorp.

‘God is chaos. Life is chaos.’

‘I don’t agree.’

Opening in 1755, the heath of Jutland cannot be cultivated.

For decades the king has sent men to tame the heath but it cannot be tamed; until single-minded Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) seeks permission, his reward a noble title, manor and servants.

The Royal Treasury betting on the captain being unsuccessful, they agree, not realising the determination of Kahlen, a gardener’s boy turned decorated captain, serving 25 years in Germany.

Kahlen hacks at the heath, harrowing by hand as the seasons pass with snow, sun, rain and mist. With the help of a minister, Anton Eklund (Gustav Lindh), he finds husband and wife, Johannes Eriksen (Morten Hee Andersen) Ann Barbara (Amanda Collin), runaway farming tenants to keep house and farm in return for shelter and food. But no wage.

It’s the best deal they’ll get, on the run from their master, Frederik De Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), Khalan’s powerful neighbour, the scars running across Johannes back telling the tale of Schinkel’s brutality, symptomatic of the nobility shown to care more for politics than the value of life, servants treated like slaves, raped and whipped and boiled alive.

Schinkel decides the heath is his land.

Uncultivated land is the king’s land. But if Khalen is successful, the land will be settled, bringing people, making Khalen a noble and therefore competition for power.

The film follows Khalen as he fights for his dream, digging deeper into his past as he builds his life with the people who share his work, the outlaws and the young darkling, Anmai Mus (Melinda Hagberg) bought and sold and cheeky.

There’s a David and Goliath theme, and what Khalen’s willing to sacrifice to succeed.

Director and screenwriter, Nikolaj Arcel states: ‘I wanted to tell a grand, epic tale about how our ambitions and desires will inevitably fail if they are all we have. Life is chaos; painful and ugly, beautiful and extraordinary, and we are often helpless to control it. As the saying goes, “We make plans and God laughs.”’

At times, The Promised Land hard to watch because I became emotionally invested in the characters, the hard choices, the evil of power – it’s a dark tale but there’s also light.

Like the endless fields of heather, it’s a vast feeling, watching the earth turn over, the soil running through Khalen’s hands, so the film becomes a story about what to hold onto in life and what to let go.

The Fall Guy

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★

Rated: M

Directed by: David Leitch

Written by: Drew Pearce

Based on the TV Series by: Glen A. Larson

Produced by: Guymon Casady, David Leitch, Kelly McCormick

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Zara Michales, Ben Knight.

‘I’m just the stunt guy.’

Ryan Gosling as stunt man Colt Seavers to super star, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) brings back the adorable to a tough guy role, ‘Did she say anything about me?’

Because after Colt breaks his back during a stunt on set, he disappears from his girlfriend, camera person, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).

Colt changes his number.

He gets a job parking cars.

Then Colt gets called back to work by Tom’s agent Gail (Hannah Waddingham) directed by none other than his ex, Jody.

Gail tells him Jody wants him back.

Colt definitely wants her back.

He just doesn’t know how to say it. He just does things like cry his eyes out to Taylor Swift and pulls the tie under Jody’s gardening hat snug under her chin.

Did I say adorable?

I was surprised about how much of this movie is a romance between these two: stunt man and camera person turned director.

And as advertised, The Fall Guy is also a stunt movie, based on the TV series from the 80s, filmed in Sydney Australia which is pretty cool, with so very many explosions and I have to say terrible humour.

Think a Post-it note with, ‘Sell cockatoo’ written on one side and on the other, ‘Buy koala.’

The Aussie references hit like a lead balloon.

And the not so subtle dual meaning of the movie storyline and romance was overcooked, as was the fast forward dialogue. It felt like there was one speed and it was run around, talk fast at highly agitated levels and again, explosions. It was too much.

Colt when tied up and trying to talk his way out even talks about movies made with ‘too much.’

But I have to say those hesitations and head flicks from Gosling added just the right amount of giggle because it was subtle.

And yes, the addition of a unicorn to illustrate Colt’s state of mind was clever and genuinely funny.

So, yes there’s a lot of fun here, but unlike the stunts, not all the humour landed.

Civil War

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★★

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Alex Garland

Written by: Alex Garland

Produced by: Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Gregory Goodman

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Nick Offerman, Wagner Moura, Jefferson White, Nelson Lee, Evan Lai, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Greg Hill, Edmund Donovan.

‘Mines ahead.’

In a word, Civil War is unflinching.

Set in the near future, the fourth film directed by Alex Garland, follows war photographer, Lee (Kirsten Dunst), along with fellow journalist Joel (Wagner Moura) and veteran journalist Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) as they document a civil war in America.

The Western Forces, an armed alliance of states rebel against the federal government as the film opens out of focus, to a closeup of the president (Nick Offerman) prepping himself to tell lies to the nation, rehearsing in between flashes of war on the streets.

A crowd waits while soldiers hold machine guns. The press take photos. The soundtrack builds. A young girl, Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) with a camera gets in close to the action as pressure builds, as the violence builds with the music.

Jessie gets smacked in the face; unprotected, she puts herself in the face of violence until Lee shepherds her away.

Then a bomb explodes.

Then silence as Lee takes photos of the carnage.

Jessie wants to be just like Lee.

So when Lee and Joel decide to go to DC, to photograph and interview the president before the The Western Forces take over the capitol, forcing surrender, Jessie talks her way into coming along.

After decades of being a journalist, Sammy wants a lift a Charlottesville, not DC. Not where journalists are views as combatants. He doesn’t want in on their suicide pact. And Lee doesn’t want to be burdened by a journalist who’s too old to run away.

It’s 857 miles to DC.

The countdown a timeline of the film as the four determined documenters of war make their way into an ever-increasing crisis of violence.

It gets brutal.

There’s a callous tone to this film. The violence has that element of senselessness that comes with war movies, Garland making a point not to sensationalise the violence, “‘It is exceptionally difficult’, Garland says, ‘to make a war movie that is, in fact, anti-war.’”

The perspective of the film is watching the journalists document the war, adding another dimension of psychological callousness, or how the callous mindset develops – Lee has a duty to record, wanting to capture that perfect shot. The questions about what is happening is for other people to ask.

Joel is addicted to the adrenaline of being on the front line, ‘What a fucking rush.’

Jessie has never felt more alive as when she thought she was going to die.

It’s senseless and brutal. But I couldn’t look away.

Civil War is a film that finds that edge, to walk that fine line to understand the need to document; the journalist not only risking life but also harnessing the ability to close the door on feeling empathy, even morality.

To only be the observer, a lens.

It’s disturbing.

The balance of that loss of humanity is the toll the job takes on Lee.

The superstar photographer, losing her belief in journalism.

Difficult themes to unpack and like Garland’s previous films (Men (2022), Annihilation (2018), Ex Machina (2014)) Civil War feels unique but not in a fantastical way; this time he’s grabbed the truth by the throat and has not held back shining a bright light on what people are capable of closing their eyes to – the journalists taking photos to show the world while closing their eyes to what they’re documenting.

And the point is made because this is a very well-made film: the camera work, the cast and performances, Kirsten Dunst of course, but Jesse Plemons as an unknown soldier asking the question, ‘What kind of American are you?’ is unforgettable.

Some of the images stain the mind and remain long after the credits roll.

I really don’t like war movies because of that senseless violence, but Civil War is worth seeing because there’s something different here, the unpacking of the complex psychology of the characters adds a thought-provoking darkness that is uniquely Alex Garland.

Monkey Man

GoMovieReview Rating: ★★★★

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Dev Patel

Story by: Dev Patel

Screenplay Written by: Dev Patel and Paul Angunawela and John Collee

Produced by: Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Christine Haebler, Anjay Nagpal

Starring: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Makarand Deshpande.

‘It’s time to remember who you are.’

With red font and the stance of a menacing man holding a knife, I was expecting blood in Dev Patel’s directional debut. And Monkey Man did not disappoint. There is just the right amount of bloody action here that builds throughout the film.

Also starring, this is a different style to Patel’s previous roles, notably, Lion (2016) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

As Monkey Man, he still has those soulful eyes, here to echo the tragedy of his childhood, losing his parents and home during a land grab, a reclaiming of his parents and fellow farmers’ land for spiritual purposes. But really, for dodgy deeds by a conducted by a corrupt guru backing bent police and the soon to be elected Sovereign Party.

Here, those soulful eyes reflect fire while his hands drip with blood.

The film opens with the legend of Hanuman, told by Monkey Man’s mother (Adithi Kalkunte) when he was a child.

Hanuman was very hungry.

A spell was cast.

He saw a shiny mango up in the sky.

Hanuman flew to grab the mango only to discover it was the sun.

So the Gods punished him. Took his power.

Then the film cuts to Monkey Man fighting in an underground fight club. The men wear masks. Monkey Man wears a gorilla mask, like he’s Hanuman without his power.

The crowd roars, stamping their feet.

The manager (Sharlto Copley) tells him, ‘They fucking hate you.’

But Monkey Man doesn’t care.

If he bleeds, he gets the blood bonus.

And he needs money so he can buy a gun.

And he needs a gun to take revenge.

To get revenge he must get access to those who slaughtered his family to steal their land.

And to get access he needs to get a job at, Kings; a restaurant and club for the rich and powerful where drinks, women and drugs are served without question.

The film is a study in colour, the club drenched in red light, the film set in Mumbai (but filmed in Indonesia); a city that lends a vibrant backdrop to the constant shifting and refocussed camera work.

What stood out was the handheld cam moments, following a dog through the streets, the theft of a purse followed through a dozen hands like a cleverly orchestrated ballet.

Then the flow stops, the soundtrack lifts (fantastic soundtrack!) for a moment, breath held, before the abrupt return to the action where the jolting camera makes the movement feel like desperation.

There’s a lot of thought put into each scene, with a definite beginning, middle and end to the storyline – for me the beginning and end amazing, the transition of Monkey Man in the middle gets lost. Like a Rocky transformation that jars with the tone of the rest of the film because what comes at the beginning and end feels unique – the transformation felt like a loss of confidence, harking back to what has already been done before. But I get the necessary transition before the… Revenge.

‘You need to destroy in order to grow, to create space in your life.’

And Monkey Man is definitely a revenge film with the added difference of the legend of Hanuman at the storyline’s foundation.

The Gods took his power and then Monkey Man took it back.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

GoMovieReview Rating: ★★★1/2

Rating: M

Directed by: Adam Wingard

Screenplay Written by: Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater

From a Story by: Rossio & Wingard & Barrett,

Based on the Character, Godzilla owned and created by TOHO Co., Ltd.

Produced by: May Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric Mcleod, Thomas Tull and Brian Rogers

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns and Fala Chen.

‘Aggression is his love language.’

The next instalment of the Monster verse, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire opens in a familiar green.

Fluorescent crystals rise towards the sky. And somewhere in Hollow Earth, Kong runs.

Old timey music plays.

The world tilts.

That feeling of vertigo persists throughout the film as Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) continues working for Monarch with adopted daughter, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last of the Iwis, to monitor Kong in his new home.

The only way to stop Godzilla and Kong fighting was to keep them apart: Kong in the Hollow Earth and Godzilla on the surface, where he, ‘can fight battles we can’t.’

Monarch monitor Godzilla because he’s the alarm for any threat from a titan.

So when signals start registering that can’t be explained, and Jia starts dreaming while awake, like something’s calling her, they know when Godzilla starts charging from a nuclear reactor that something big is about to threaten the surface.

Without giving too much away, Kong and Godzilla must unite to face the threat that lurks even deeper within the earth. Within the Subterranean Realm. Uncharted territory closed off. Until now.

It’s a little cheesy.

But there’s tongue-in-cheek humour sprinkled throughout, note the return of Trapper (Dan Stevens) now vet / dentist to the titans, and Podcaster Burnie (Brian Tyree Henry) who comments to Trapper, ‘I think there’s something seriously wrong with you.’

Sometimes the humour hit, sometimes it didn’t.

There’s a lot of gooey green stuff, including Kong tearing a death jackal apart over his head to cover himself in its gizzards.

And there’s a lot of blasting action trapezing across the globe, scenes shot in Hawaii, Brazil, Marocco and Iceland, the scenery spectacular to watch on the big screen.

This instalment is directed by Adam Wingard who also directed Kong Vs Godzilla (2021), so there’s a similar feeling to the action, yet there’s a refresh to the cast with Jia taking a lead role who’s enchanting in her silence.

I just didn’t warm to the story to really get behind the drama.

Kong’s facial expressions were more nuisance and there’s a lot of communication conveyed through sign and expression.

A highlight when Burnie is confronted by a tribesman, where it’s polite to make real close eye contact, the expression of the eyes the communication. Burnie did not like the forced eye contact. I’m still giggling at the memory of it.

I re-read my review of Godzilla Vs Kong to recall a comparison and found I was using the same language to describe Godzilla x Kong: rollercoaster, cheesy, worth seeing on the big screen.

So if you liked Adam Wingard’s previous Kong / Godzilla movie, you’ll like this one.

Kung Fu Panda 4

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★1/2

Rated: PG

Directed by: Mike Mitchell

Co-Directed by: Stephanie Ma Stine

Written by: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Darren Lemke

Produced by: Rebecca Huntley

Starring: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane and Ke Huy Quan.

‘There are more ways of helping people than kicking butt.’

The Dragon Warrior, AKA Po (Jack Black) returns, living the good life in the Valley of Peace.

He’s kicking back, catching rays… Literally, chasing down sting rays attempting to eat piglets.

Until rams come running telling tales (ha, ha) of the return of defeated nemesis, Tai Lung (Ian McShane) – somehow returned from the Spirit Realm. But how?

Enter new enemy, The Chameleon (Viola Davis) – a sorcerer able to change into anything.

How do you defeat an enemy when they can be anyone?

Po, spends time with his dads: adoptive father Mr. Ping (James Hong) and biological father, Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), opening a new restaurant, using his fame to bring in customers -Po’s still ready for anything. Except the idea of choosing his successor.

And to prove he’s still the Dragon Warrior, Po fights Zhen (Awkwafina), a pesky corsac fox attempting to steal his Staff of Wisdom.

A pesky fox, but not without talents.

Zhen’s in the know, and if freed, will help track down the formidable sorcerer, The Chamilion.

This latest instalment of Kung Fu Panda is full of wry humour. A classic moment Po meditating to find his, ‘inner peace, inner peace… dinner please… with a side of peas…’

And there’s an underlying theme of dealing with change and growing from a seed pit into a strong tree.

This is a sweet movie that had me smiling all the way through. Not hilarious, but kid friendly and filled with moments like a paint brush of colour across the screen to emphasize the Kung Fu action.

It’s a little sad seeing Po moving into his next stage of life, but that’s the whole point of the film, change.

Good fun for the whole family – skadoosh!

Wicked Little Letters

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Thea Sharrock

Written by: Jonny Sweet

Produced by: Graham Broadbent & Pete Czernin, Ed Sinclair, Jo Wallett

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope with Eileen Atkins and Timothy Spall, Hugh Skinner, Paul Chahidi, Jason Watkins and Alisha Weir.

‘Congratulations on your tragedy.’

Based on a true story, Wicked Little Letters opens with the statement, ‘This story is more true than you’d think.’

The pious, God-travels-through-the-just, Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and do-I-look-like-the-anonymous-type-to-you?! Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley), newly arrived in Littlehampton from Ireland, are neighbours.

It’s the 1920s and they share a bathtub and privy out the back.

Rose is ah, very natural, happy to swear, pass out on the toilet, and speak her mind. She lives with her daughter Nancy (Alisha Weir) and partner Bill (Malachi Kirby) – her husband known to have died in the war.

Ms Swan watches her from the window and delights in Rose’s bold nature. Edith decides to take Rose under her wing – to show the way to the light, of course.

But when child services are called to Rose’s door, she turns to the likely Ms Swan, thinking it must be the God-fearing neighbour, to which Ms Swann adamantly denies.

After the incident, the poison letters addressed to Edith begin.

The letters are vicious and filled with profanities that’s jarring in the quiet house of the Swans – ‘Foxy-assed rabbit-fucker,’ a favourite line.

‘It will be the death of me’ – exclaims Edith’s mother (Emma Jones).

Edward Swan, the stern, captain of the ship, father is outraged and demands the police become involved.

It’s the 19^th letter.

The obvious suspect is of course, the riotous neighbour, Rose.

And without any evidence, Rose is taken into custody.

But Woman Constable Moss (Anjana Vasan) is not convinced.

Neither are Edith’s friends who gather every week for a game of Whist.

‘Congratulations on your tragedy,’ says Kate (Lolly Adefope). She’s the proud mother of several parakeets that can be a handful.

It’s post-war England where the women who were left to work are now expected return into polite society as delicate flowers after driving tractors in the absence of their men at war.

The women have found their strength yet are forced into submission – ‘Let the man speak,’ Ms Swan’s father tells her. Only to interrupt the policeman to say, ‘Carry on.’

Whereas Rose grew up helping her grandfather burgle houses.

It’s a guilty by reputation scenario but expands as the film digs deeper into the characters, the drama shown in the nuanced changes in facial expression, Edith’s pious words overshadowed by the flash of delight in her eyes as she reads about herself in the newspaper.

This is a lighthearted viewing, much of the humour based on the times and language like, ‘butter-my-wig’ juxtaposed with the blunt Rose and of course the delightfully explicit poison letters, ‘Dear Edith, you foxy-ass old whore, you really are a tricksy fucker.’

Not the hilarious watch I thought it would be, but there’s a lot of heart here and an interesting character study of the hypocrisy of those who are forced to deny their true nature.

Imaginary

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★

Rated: M

Directed by: Jeff Wadlow

Screenplay Written by: Greg Erb, Jason Oremland, Jeff Wadlow

Produced by: Jason Blum, Paul Uddo, Jeff Wadlow

Starring: DeWanda Wise, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun, Betty Buckley, Tom Payne, Veronica Falcón and Samuel Salary.

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t finish our game.’

I walked into Imaginary with low expectations – a killer teddy bear?

It’s got to be a parody, right?!

Aside for the overacting at times, and mention of a ventriloquist little girl because how is her imaginary friend speaking without the little girl moving her lips?

Again, I use question marks, I know. But it’s a questionable storyline that is somewhat successful.

From the same producers as M3GAN (2023), I went back and re-read my review and I wasn’t sure how to feel about M3GAN either. The premise is such a stretch, I wonder how it can’t be absolute trash, but somehow there’s a hook that keeps you watching.

For M3GAN, the humour made the film watchable, here, it was more about the scary, and yes, surprises along the way.

Imaginary opens quietly. A flickering light down a hallway. A bloodied woman escapes from a trapdoor in the wall – ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t finish our game,’ she says.

Enter Jessica (DeWanda Wise). She has nightmares and wakes next to her husband, Max (Tom Payne).

Jessica is the stepmum to Max’s two daughters, Alice (Pyper Braun) and Taylor (Taegen Burns).

Alice is endearing.

Taylor is hard work.

Most of the film focusses on the family dynamic.

After a scary start, Imaginary unpacks the relationships of a step mum struggling with change, getting to know her new daughters while moving back to her childhood home.

It’s here that Alice meets the teddy bear, Chauncey. Her new best friend.

Her imaginary friend.

‘Meet Chauncey.

He’s not imaginary.

And he’s not your friend.’

Without giving too much away, there’s more then an evil bear here; there’s thought put into childhood imagination and the relationship between children and the imagined entities that become their friends – the theory introduced by creepy neighbour, Gloria (Betty Buckley).

There’s a surreal dimension to the filming that echoed, Insidious (2010), in scratching the door to another world where those unwary get trapped.

And there’s a few surprises that keep up the entertainment, unfortunately some of those twists fell flat.

But in spite of the silly here, there’s some genuine scares, so in comparison, there’s more of a focus on the creepy here than M3GAN (which became funny more than scary).

There’s backstory to Imaginary, making the film a better watch than expected.

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